The Wanderings of Odysseus

Author: Rosemary Sutcliff
Publisher: Laurel-Leaf
Copyright Date: 1995
Number of Pages: 131
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Genre: Drama










Summary
This novel is a simplified version of The Odyssey. It is written in an easy to read, exciting way. In this book Odysseus, a war hero from Ithaca, is journeying back to his homeland after the Trojan war. On his journey home he encounters many obstacles and is able to surmount them. In his journeyings he encounters and defeats a cyclops and an enchantress, journeys into the land of the dead, escapes various sea perils, and defeats more than one hundred Suitors and their kinsfolk. Along the way he is helped and hindered by various Gods and Goddesses. In the end Odysseus overcomes all of his obstacles and wins back his lovely maiden. 


Personal Reaction
I think that this is a great version of The Odyssey that is fairly easy to understand. At first I thought that the characters were not developed very effectively but as I got farther into the book the story just seemed to unfold. I ended up really enjoying this book.

Potential Problems
The story may be too gory for some children as there are some fairly disturbing scenes.

Recommended to...
Boys and/or girls that enjoy stories with a great deal of fighting, adventure, and action.

The Eleventh Hour

Author: Graeme Base
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams Inc.
Copyright Date: 1988
Number of Pages: 30
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Genre: Mystery





Summary
In this picture book Horace the elephant celebrates his eleventh birthday. He is a very talented cook and decides to make a great feast for his guests. The guests arrive and see all of the delicious food, but Horace proclaims that they cannot eat until the eleventh hour. The guests proceed to enjoy themselves in a number of activities including pool, chess, and even cricket. When the eleventh hour comes along everyone is so excited for the delicious feast that they stampede into the dining room only to find out that all of the food has been eaten. The animals each take turns proclaiming their innocence, saying the reasons why it couldn't have been them. In the end Horace saves the day by making everyone a healthy meal of sandwiches and then provides the birthday cake that had been saved in the kitchen. In the end, by deductive reasoning, you can discover that it was the mice that took all of the food.

Personal Reaction
I can't imagine how a 9-12 year old could make sense of this book because it is so confusing and cluttered. I thought that although the pictures are very well done there was too much to look at. I also thought that the words were perhaps harder to understand then would be appropriate for the age group. This book would definitely have to be explained as I'm sure children would have many questions about its contents.

Potential Problems
The mystery is never truly solved in this book. This could be very frustrating to children that want to know the answer. An impatient reader would not appreciate this book.

Recommended to...
Boys or girls that enjoy mysteries that remain unanswered would enjoy this book. Also, this might be a good book for a child that likes looking at illustrations that show a lot of action.